Method and apparatus for managing message history data for a mobile communication device

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for managing history data of messages received from and transmitted to other users by a user of a mobile communication device is provided. Message history data is extracted from received and transmitted messages and stored such that a user of the mobile communication device may easily input a conditional request to the device and view message history data associated with a specific other user or message history data identified by conditional data input to the device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/858,453, filed on Sep. 20, 2007, which claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/888,182, filed on Jul. 9, 2004, which claims thebenefit of earlier filing date and right of priority to Korean PatentApplication No. 2003-0049786, filed on Jul. 21, 2003, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managinghistory data, and more specifically to a method and apparatus formanaging history data of messages received from and transmitted to otherusers by a user of a mobile communication device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many mobile phones are capable of transmitting and receiving messagessuch as SMS (Short Messages Service), MMS (Multimedia Message Service),and USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data). The use of suchmessages is increasing.

Messages received and transmitted by a mobile phone are generally storedin chronological order in a message deposit box having a receivedmessage box and a transmitted message box, respectively. A user mayseparately view messages received and messages transmitted utilizing thereceived message box and the transmitted message box.

However, if a user desires to view the messages transmitted to orreceived from a specific other user, all messages in the receivedmessage box or the transmitted message box must be viewed. Viewing allreceived messages or transmitted messages in order to find the messagesfrom the specific other user that a user desires to view is considerablytroublesome and the user wastes time indexing through messagestransmitted to or received from other users that it is not desired toview.

A method of classifying, viewing and erasing messages in accordance withsearch criteria input by a user is disclosed in Korean PatentPublication No. 2003-0032584, which was filed on Oct. 18, 2001 andassigned to the present applicant. Although a method for classifying themessages in accordance with the user's request is disclosed, the methoddoes not adequately allow classification of transmitted messages andreceived messages such that messages transmitted to or received from aspecific other user may be easily viewed.

Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for classifying,viewing and erasing messages in accordance with search criteria input bya user that facilitates a user easily viewing messages transmitted to orreceived from a specific other user. The present invention addressesthese and other needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatusfor managing history data of messages received from and transmitted toother users by a user of a mobile communication device.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the presentinvention is embodied in a mobile communication device that allows theuser to manage history data of messages such that messages and relatedinformation received from and transmitted to other users may be viewedwithout having to view all messages received from or transmitted toother users.

In one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for managinghistory data of messages received and transmitted by a mobilecommunication device. The method includes storing message history dataof the received messages and the transmitted messages in a storage unit,receiving a conditional request from the user of the device for messagehistory data, processing the conditional request to read message historydata corresponding to the conditional request from the storage unit, andoutputting the message history data.

It is contemplated that the message history data may include one or moreof a time when a message has been recorded (received or transmitted) inthe mobile communication device, data for identifying whether themessage has been received or transmitted, and all or a part of thereceived or transmitted message. It is further contemplated that themessage history data for received messages and the message history datafor transmitted messages may be stored in separate storage areas,preferably in chronological order. In a preferred embodiment, thestorage area in which the message history data for received messages isstored and the storage area in which the message history data fortransmitted messages is stored are also separate from the storage areain which the received messages are stored and the storage area in whichthe transmitted messages are stored.

The message history data of the all received messages may be storedtogether in the storage unit and the message history data of alltransmitted messages may be stored together in the storage unit.Alternately, the message history data associated with each specificother user may be stored together in a specific area of the storage unitsuch that no area of the storage unit comprises message history dataassociated with more than one specific other user

Message history data may be stored for all messages received andtransmitted by a user of the mobile communication device. In a preferredembodiment, the user of the mobile communication device may designatethat message history data be stored only for messages transmitted to andreceived from specific other users.

A conditional request from the user of the device identifies the messagehistory data that is desired. The user may utilize a displayed menu thatidentifies the other users for whom message history data is available,for example by name, phone number or nickname. Alternately, the user mayinput conditional data identifying the message history data desired.

In a preferred embodiment, the user of the mobile communication devicemay request message history data by inputting conditional dataindicating a name of a specific other user, a phone number of a specificother user, indicating whether message history data is desired forreceived or transmitted messages, or indicating a time period for whichmessage history data is desired.

It is contemplated that the user of the mobile communication device mayindicate that the message history data is “password protected” such thata conditional request is processed only if a password input matches apredetermined password set by the user. It is further contemplated thatthe user of the mobile communication device may designate that onlyspecific message history data is “password protected” such that apassword comparison is performed only if the designated specific messagehistory data is requested.

It is contemplated that processing a conditional request may includereading message history data corresponding to the processed conditionalrequest and arranging the message history data in chronological order.Furthermore, it is contemplated that processing a conditional requestmay include reading message history data corresponding to the processedconditional request and arranging the message history data according towhether the corresponding message is a received message or a transmittedmessage. Moreover, it is contemplated that the received or transmittedmessage corresponding to the requested message history data or a fileattached to the corresponding message may also be output.

The method may also include erasing one or more stored received ortransmitted messages without erasing the corresponding message historydata. The method may also include transmitting the stored messagehistory data to another device, for example an external memory device, apersonal computer, or a notebook computer having storage capacity, suchthat the message history data is not stored in the mobile communicationdevice. It is contemplated that the method may be utilized with messagesof various types, for example SMS, MMS or USSD.

In another aspect of the present invention, a mobile communicationdevice apparatus is provided for managing history data of messagesreceived and transmitted by a user of the device. The mobilecommunication device is adapted to perform the methods of the presentinvention to store message history data of the received messages and thetransmitted messages in the storage unit, receive a conditional requestfor message history data input by the user, read message history datacorresponding to the conditional request from the storage unit, andoutput the message history data.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present invention areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention. Features, elements, and aspects of the invention that arereferenced by the same numerals in different figures represent the same,equivalent, or similar features, elements, or aspects in accordance withone or more embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for managing history data ofmessages received and transmitted by a user of a mobile communicationdevice according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for storing message historydata extracted from received messages and transmitted messages accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing conditionalrequests for message history data according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4A illustrates a display screen for selecting message history datarelated to messages transmitted to and received from a specific otheruser according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B illustrates a display screen containing the message history datarelated to messages transmitted to and received from a specific otheruser according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile communication device ofthe present invention for performing the methods illustrated in FIGS.1-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managinghistory data of messages received from and transmitted to other users bya user of a mobile communication device. Although the present inventionis illustrated with respect to messages received and transmitted by amobile phone, it is contemplated that the present invention may beutilized anytime it is desired to manage messages of any type receivedand transmitted by the user of any communication device.

The attached drawings for illustrating exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention are referred to in order to gain a sufficientunderstanding of the present invention, the merits thereof, and theobjectives accomplished by the implementation of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to all mobile communication devicescapable of receiving and transmitting messages. Furthermore, since thecapability to receive and transmit messages has been provided in wiredphones, it is contemplated that the present invention may be alsoapplied to wired phones.

A general mobile communication device to which the present invention maybe applied has data receiving and transmitting circuitry, a displayunit, a data storage unit, a data output unit, a menu setting functionfor allowing a user to set a specific function, and a programmablecontrol unit for controlling the electronic circuits and the functionsof the device. The present invention is described in detail withreference to the attached drawings as embodied in a mobile phone.

The mobile phone has a module for extracting the history data frommessages received and transmitted by the user and storing the extractedhistory data in the storage unit. The mobile phone also has a menufunction that allows a user to request and retrieve history data ofmessages received from and transmitted to other users.

As used herein, “message” or “messages” may be SMS (Short MessageService) messages, MMS (Multimedia Message Service) messages, or USSD(Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) messages. The message historydata includes identifying attributes of messages received from andtransmitted to other users using the mobile phone.

Referring to FIG. 1, a method of managing history data of messagesaccording to one embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The method10 includes determining if a message is received or transmitted (S12)and storing the message history data from the message (S14) andreceiving (S16) and processing (S18) a conditional request for storedmessage history data.

Every time a message is received or transmitted in step S12 by themobile phone, the message is processed to extract and store the messagehistory data in step S14. In step S14, the history data of everyreceived and transmitted message may be extracted, with the extractedhistory data stored in a specified area of the storage unit. In apreferred embodiment, the user is able to designate specific other usersfor whom message history data is stored and message history data isextracted and stored in step S14 only when messages are received from ortransmitted to a designated specific user.

When a conditional request for stored message history data is receivedin step S16, the conditional request is processed in step S18. Themessage history data requested is read from the storage unit and output.In a preferred embodiment, the user is able to “password protect” thestored message history data by setting a predetermined password and therequested message history data is read from the storage area and outputonly if the predetermined password is input.

By password protecting the message history data, the user may protecthis privacy. The message history associated with all other users may bepassword protected or the user may designate specific other users forpassword protection and allow the message history data associated withnon-designated other users to be accessed without a password.

Referring to FIG. 2, a method of storing the message history dataextracted from received and transmitted messages is illustrated. Themethod 20 includes determining if the user has indicated that onlymessage history data for messages received from and transmitted todesignated other users (“selective store enabled”) is to be stored (S21)and, if so, determining if the current message was received from ortransmitted to one of the designated (“specific user enabled”) otherusers (S22), extracting message history data from the current message(S23), determining if the current message was transmitted or received(S24) and storing the extracted message history data in the appropriatearea of the storage unit (S25, S26).

If the user has indicated that only message history data for messagesreceived from and transmitted to designated other users (“selectivestore enabled”) is to be stored and the current message is determined tonot be associated with a designated other user (“specific user notenabled”) in step S22, the message history data is not extracted fromthe current message and stored. Selectively storing only the messagehistory data of messages received from and transmitted to certaindesignated other users allows more efficient utilization of theavailable memory space of the storage unit.

The user presets the specific users for whom message history data shouldbe stored. The user may select a specific other user from, for example,a telephone directory menu contained in the mobile phone and press a keyon a keypad for setting a “specific user enabled” condition for thespecific other user.

The message history data may include one or more of a time when themessage was received or transmitted, data identifying whether themessage is a received message or a transmitted message, and all or apart of the corresponding message. Preferably, the message history datais stored in chronological order according to when the message fromwhich it was extracted was received or transmitted.

The message history data of received messages may be stored in an areaof the storage unit separate from the area in which the message historydata of transmitted messages is stored. Furthermore, the message historydata of the received and transmitted messages may be stored in an areaof the storage unit separate from the area where the received andtransmitted messages are stored. Since the message history data isstored in a different area of the storage area than the messages, theuser may erase the received messages or the transmitted messages withouterasing the corresponding message history data.

The message history data of all other users may be stored together or aseparate area of the storage unit may be used to store the messagehistory data for each specific other user such that a specific area ofthe storage unit contains the message history data for all the receivedor transmitted messages associated with a specific other user. If aseparate area of the storage unit is utilized to store the messagehistory data for each specific other user, the entire area of thestorage unit corresponding to the specific other user may be read whenmessage history data for that other user is requested.

Referring to FIG. 3, a method for processing a conditional request formessage history data is illustrated. The method 30 includes determiningif the user desires to use a menu to select the desired message historydata or input conditional data (S31), either displaying a list ofspecific other users (S32) and allowing the user to select a specificother user from the list (S33) or processing conditional data input bythe user, determining if the desired message history data is passwordprotected (S35) and, if so, determining if the password input (S36)matches the preset password (S37), reading the desired message historydata from the storage unit (S38), and outputting the message historydata (S39).

If it is determined in step S31 that the user desires to select themessage history data from a menu, a list of specific other users forwhom message history data is available is displayed in step S32. FIG. 4Aillustrates the selection menu displayed in one embodiment of theinvention.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the user selects one of the displayed specificother users for whom message history data is desired in step S33, forexample by utilizing upward and downward shift keys to move a cursor tothe desired name or pressing the numeral key on a keypad of the mobilephone corresponding to the numeral displayed next to the name of thespecific other user. Although a list of names is illustrated in FIG. 4A,it is contemplated that the menu may display a list of phone numbers ornicknames specified by the user or any other attribute that identifiesspecific other users for whom message history data is available.

If it is determined in step S31 that the user desires to inputconditional data identifying the message history data desired, theconditional data input by the user is processed in step S34. Theconditional data may include one or more of a name of a specific otheruser, a phone number of a specific other user, data indicating thatmessage history data is desired for received messages or transmittedmessages, or data indicating that message history data is desired formessages during a specified time period.

Once the user has selected the message history data desired in step S33or step S34, it is determined in step S35 if the requested messagehistory data is password protected. If the requested data is passwordprotected, the user is prompted to input a password in step S36 and theinput password is compared to a preset password in step S37.

If the requested message history data is not password protected or theinput password matches the preset password, the requested messagehistory data is read from the storage unit is step S38. If the requestedmessage history data is password protected and the input password doesnot match the preset password, the conditional request for messagehistory data is not processed.

The message history data read from the storage unit is output in stepS39, preferably to a display unit. If the message history data for allother users are stored in the same area of the storage unit, only themessage history data associated with the selected other user is read. Ifa separate area of the storage unit is utilized to store the messagehistory data associated with each other user, the entire area of thestorage unit corresponding to the message history data for the selectedother user is read.

It is contemplated that the message history data may be output toanother device, for example an external memory device, personal computeror notebook computer, in order to conserve the memory space available inthe storage unit of the mobile phone. Once the mobile phone is connectedto the other device, the user may select a “transmit message historydata” function from a menu displayed by the mobile phone to transmit themessage history data to the connected device.

FIG. 4B illustrates a message history data display in one embodiment ofthe invention. The message history data may be displayed inchronological order as illustrated in FIG. 4B. Alternatively, themessage history data of received messages may be displayed first withthe message history data of transmitted messages displayed below it. Itis contemplated that the user may select the format of the displayedmessage history data.

Once the desired message history data is displayed, the user may use thedisplayed data to confirm details of messages received from ortransmitted to other users or select any of the displayed messagehistory data to display additional details of the corresponding message.For example, if the corresponding message is an SMS message, all thedetails of the message or the entire received or transmitted message maybe displayed, and, if the corresponding message is an MMS message, theadded file may be displayed.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the user selects “Lee Cheolsu” as thespecific other user for whom message history data is desired. The usermay utilize upward and downward shift keys to move the cursor to thename “Lee Cheolsu” or press the “1” numeral key on a keypad of themobile phone. Once the name “Lee Cheolsu” is selected and the correctpassword is input if the user has password protected the message historydata associated with “Lee Cheolsu,” the message history data associatedwith “Lee Cheolsu” is read from the storage unit and displayed asillustrated in FIG. 4B. The user may simply confirm times or details ofmessages received from and transmitted to Lee Cheolsu or may select aspecific received or transmitted message for which additionalinformation is desired.

Referring to FIG. 5, a block diagram of a mobile communication device100 of the present invention is illustrated, for example a mobile phonefor performing the methods of the present invention. The mobilecommunication device 100 includes a processing unit 110 such as amicroprocessor or digital signal processor, an RF module 135, a powermanagement module 105, an antenna 140, a battery 155, a display 115, akeypad 120, a memory unit 130 such as flash memory, ROM or SRAM, aspeaker 145, a microphone 150, a data output unit 156, and, optionally,an external device interface unit 157.

A user enters instructional information, such as a telephone number, forexample, by pushing the buttons of a keypad 120 or by voice activationusing the microphone 150. The processing unit 110 receives and processesthe instructional information to perform the appropriate function, suchas to dial the telephone number. Operational data may be retrieved fromthe memory unit 130 to perform the function. Furthermore, the processingunit 110 may display the instructional and operational information onthe display 115 for the user's reference and convenience.

The processing unit 110 issues instructional information to the RFsection 135, to initiate communication, for example, transmit radiosignals comprising voice communication data. The RF section 135comprises a receiver and a transmitter to receive and transmit radiosignals. The antenna 140 facilitates the transmission and reception ofradio signals. Upon receiving radio signals, the RF module 135 mayforward and convert the signals to baseband frequency for processing bythe processing unit 110. The processed signals would be transformed intoaudible or readable information outputted via the speaker 145, forexample.

The processing unit 110 is adapted to store message history data ofmessages received from and messages transmitted to other users in thememory unit 130, receive a conditional request for message history datainput by the user, process the conditional request to read messagehistory data corresponding to the conditional request from the memoryunit, and output the message history data to the display unit 115. Thememory unit 130 is adapted to store message history data of the receivedmessages and the transmitted messages. The data output unit 156 isadapted to provide message history data read from the memory unit to thedisplay unit 115 and to the external device interface 157, if provided.The external device interface 157 is adapted to provide a connection toan external device (not shown) such as an external memory unit, personalcomputer or notebook computer.

It is contemplated that the processing unit 110 and memory unit 130 maybe adapted to store the message history data of the received messagesand the message history data of the transmitted messages in separateareas of the memory unit, those areas of the memory unit being separatefrom the area of the memory unit in which the received messages andtransmitted messages are stored such that received messages andtransmitted messages may be erased without erasing the correspondingmessage history data. Furthermore, the processing unit 110 and memoryunit 130 may be adapted to store the message history data inchronological order. Moreover, the processing unit 110 and memory unit130 may be adapted to store the message history data for all receivedand transmitted messages or for only messages received from andtransmitted to specific other users designated by the user.

The processing unit 110 and memory unit 130 may be adapted to store themessage history data of messages received from all other users in thesame area of the memory unit and the message history data of messagestransmitted to all other users in the same area of the memory unit.Alternately, the processing unit 110 and memory unit 130 may be adaptedto store the message history data associated with each specific otheruser together in a specific area of the memory unit such that no area ofthe memory unit comprises message history data associated with more thanone specific other user.

The processing unit 110 is adapted to provide a menu on the display unit115, thereby allowing the user to select a specific other user for whommessage history data is desired, as well as to receive conditional datainput by the user, the conditional data indicating the message historydata desired by the user. The processing unit 110 may be adapted toallow a password to be input when conditional requests for messagehistory data are processed. The password protection may be utilized forall message history data requests or only for specific message historydata designated by the user.

The processing unit 110 may be adapted to arrange the message historyread from the memory unit 130 such that the data is displayed on thedisplay unit 115 in chronological order. Alternately, the processingunit 110 may be adapted to arrange the message history read from thememory unit 130 such that the data is displayed on the display unit 115according to whether the corresponding message was a received message ora transmitted message. The processing unit 110 may be further adapted tooutput the received or transmitted message corresponding to the messagehistory data read from the memory unit 130 or files attached to thereceived or transmitted message corresponding to the message historydata.

The processing unit 110 may be adapted to provide message history datato another device via the external device interface unit 157. It iscontemplated that the device may be an external memory unit, a personalcomputer or a notebook computer.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the mobilecommunication device 100 may be readily implemented using, for example,the processing unit 110 or other data or digital processing device,either alone or in combination with external support logic.

By utilizing the present invention, the user of a mobile communicationdevice may conveniently manage the message history data corresponding tomessages received and transmitted. The user may select to store themessage history data associated with all messages received andtransmitted or only the message history data associated with specificdesignated users. The user may password protect the stored messagehistory data and retrieve the stored message history data for messagesreceived from or transmitted to a specific other user or the storedmessage history data according to another user-specified condition suchas “all received or transmitted messages” or “all messages received andtransmitted during a specific period of time.”

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the preferredembodiments of the present invention can be readily implemented using,for example, the processor 110 or other data or digital processingdevice, either alone or in combination with external support logic.

Although the present invention is described in the context of mobilecommunication, the present invention may also be used in any wirelesscommunication systems using mobile devices, such as PDAs and laptopcomputers equipped with wireless communication capabilities. Moreover,the use of certain terms to describe the present invention should notlimit the scope of the present invention to certain type of wirelesscommunication system, such as UMTS. The present invention is alsoapplicable to other wireless communication systems using different airinterfaces and/or physical layers, for example, TDMA, CDMA, FDMA, WCDMA,etc.

The preferred embodiments may be implemented as a method, apparatus orarticle of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineeringtechniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combinationthereof. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein refers to codeor logic implemented in hardware logic (e.g., an integrated circuitchip, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC), etc.) or a computer readable medium (e.g.,magnetic storage medium (e.g., hard disk drives, floppy disks, tape,etc.), optical storage (CD-ROMs, optical disks, etc.), volatile andnon-volatile memory devices (e.g., EEPROMs, ROMs, PROMs, RAMs, DRAMs,SRAMs, firmware, programmable logic, etc.). Code in the computerreadable medium is accessed and executed by a processor. The code inwhich preferred embodiments are implemented may further be accessiblethrough a transmission media or from a file server over a network. Insuch cases, the article of manufacture in which the code is implementedmay comprise a transmission media, such as a network transmission line,wireless transmission media, signals propagating through space, radiowaves, infrared signals, etc. Of course, those skilled in the art willrecognize that many modifications may be made to this configurationwithout departing from the scope of the present invention, and that thearticle of manufacture may comprise any information bearing medium knownin the art.

The logic implementation shown in the figures described specificoperations as occurring in a particular order. In alternativeimplementations, certain of the logic operations may be performed in adifferent order, modified or removed and still implement preferredembodiments of the present invention. Moreover, steps may be added tothe above described logic and still conform to implementations of theinvention.

The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and arenot to be construed as limiting the present invention. The presentteaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. Thedescription of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, andnot to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications,and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In theclaims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structuredescribed herein as performing the recited function and not onlystructural equivalents but also equivalent structures.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of displaying information related tomessages communicated using a handheld mobile communication device, themethod comprising: displaying a list of messages communicated between auser of a handheld mobile communication device and a communicationtarget, wherein the communication target is at least one of a recipientof a message from the user or a sender of a message to the user, whereinthe list of messages comprises timing information associated with atleast one message communicated between the user and the communicationtarget, wherein the list of messages comprises status informationindicating whether at least one message in the list is received ortransmitted by the handheld mobile communication device, wherein thelist of messages comprises content information for at least one messagecommunicated between the user and the communication target, and whereinthe list of messages is displayed in a first portion of a display screenof the handheld mobile communication device, in relation to a secondportion of the display screen.